


Love Me Dead

by BadNewsForBrainWork



Category: Persona 4, Shin Megami Tensei
Genre: Alternate Canon, Bloodplay, Light BDSM, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-10
Packaged: 2017-11-28 12:19:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadNewsForBrainWork/pseuds/BadNewsForBrainWork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, knowing someone doesn't mean anything. </p><p>Title inspired by the song "Love Me Dead" by Ludo.</p><p>It is strongly recommended that you have played Persona 4 Golden and have leveled the Jester Social Link to at least Rank 6. Even if you haven't, you can definitely read the story. It will just enhance the experience. I'm trying my best to stick with the canon storyline with as little deviation as possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summer

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Persona 4 fic, so I apologize in advance for any out of character interactions. I've played through the game like 6 times, but I can't say that I've gotten the hang of writing all of the characters.
> 
> It is strongly recommended that you have played Persona 4 Golden and have leveled the Jester Social Link to at least Rank 6. Even if you haven't, you can definitely read the story. It will just enhance the experience. I'm trying my best to stick with the canon storyline with as little deviation as possible.

There is a calm silence lingering in the Inaba Police Department that is a little more than unsettling. Night has fallen and the only sound that can be heard is the shuffling of papers and the cicadas outside singing their discordant melodies. A cup of untouched coffee stagnates on Dojima's desk as he thumbs through various files, stacked high. Adachi watches him from his own desk, frowning deeply. 

It's been at least three hours since Dojima has said anything. Besides an occasional grunt, the two of them have sat in absolute silence. Most of the other officers had left hours ago, but Dojima wasn't those other guys. He was serious about solving this case, even if it meant staying holed up in his office all night. Adachi had only planned to linger for a short while but had ended up staying long enough to bring Dojima three cups of coffee and takeout from Aiya. It was mostly out of pity and the fact that he felt obligated as Dojima's partner to stick around.

Adachi's eyes shift to the clock on the wall. It's nearly 2:30 in the morning. He sighs. They both have to be up in 3 hours to meet with the prefectural police coming from the city in the morning. Adachi debates whether it's even worth trying to sleep at this point. Probably not, but he might as well say something anyway. It's too quiet in here for his liking.

"Dojima-san, your coffee is getting cold."

Adachi waits, but no response comes. Dojima rocks back in his chair a few times, chewing on the end of his pen absentmindedly. Adachi tries again a few moments later.

"You know, it's 2:30, Nanako is probably worried sick about you." 

Nanako's name snaps Dojima out of it. He slowly turns his head to look at the clock. The file he was perusing moments before ends up being slapped down on the desk. The sound barely startles Adachi, his grey eyes fixated on Dojima, who seems to be staring blankly at the clock. Dojima mutters something under his breath that Adachi can't quite hear before he stands and stretches. He grabs his jacket off the back of his chair and throws it over his shoulder. His tired eyes flick to Adachi. He is still obediently planted at his desk, staring at Dojima with a lopsided smile. Dojima blinks a few times, grimaces, and smoothly turns on his heel, heading for the door.

"What the hell are you waiting for, Adachi? Let's go." His partner obeys, quietly standing and following suit. The two of them manage to lock up the station without saying a word to each other. It's not until Dojima starts to head towards his car that Adachi stops him, a look of worry flashing across his face.

"You shouldn't drive. You haven't had much sleep and we can't have the best detective in Inaba falling asleep at the wheel," Adachi says in a chipper tone, extending his hand for the keys. 

"You're one to talk," Dojima counters, gripping the keys tighter, "You've been here with me this whole time."

Adachi shrugs and scratches his head, a big smile cracking across his face. "C'mon. Don't be so stubborn. I've had a lot more coffee than you have. Let me drive." He reaches for the keys again and successfully plucks them out of Dojima's hand. Dojima discovers that he's too tired to argue at this point and Adachi will just keep insisting anyway. When he slides into the passenger seat, his body feels like lead and his eyelids droop dangerously. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea having Adachi drive him home after all. The purr of the engine is soothing and Dojima finds that his eyes have shut without his consent. 

Only a few minutes into their trip, Dojima has fallen into a deep sleep.

***

Five failed attempts to wake Dojima up later, Adachi finds himself knocking frantically at the Dojima residence's front door. It takes ten minutes for someone to answer, a sleep-rumpled Yu who looks incredibly displeased.

"It's 3 in the morning," Yu states groggily, running a hand through his hair.

"I know, but your uncle is out cold in the car and I need help getting him inside," Adachi says quickly, laughing nervously, "Sorry, I know you have school in the morning, but I can't carry him myself." 

Yu glares at the driveway and groans, but he complies, not even bothering to slip on shoes as he follows Adachi to the car. It takes them nearly twenty minutes to get Dojima settled on his futon and the two of them collapse on the couch. Adachi yawns loudly and settles into the soft cushions, his exhaustion enveloping him like a warm, soft blanket.

He doesn't even realize he's drifted off until Yu shakes his shoulder. His eyes flutter open for just a second before they close again. He can't bring himself to stay awake. The lack of sleep is finally getting to him. Yu shakes his shoulder again. He opens his eyes just enough to let Yu know he's awake.

"Mmm, sorry, haven't had much sleep lately with the case and all. I guess I should get going..." Adachi tries to sit up but Yu's hand tightens on his shoulder.

"You can't walk home in the middle of the night," Yu mumbles, a yawn cutting in between his words, "With the murders and everything."

Adachi snickers and curls into the couch without comment, letting his eyes close again. He can still feel Yu's warm hand on his shoulder and it's surprisingly comforting. Yu's voice sounds faraway when he speaks again. 

"Get up. You can sleep on my futon tonight," Yu offers, slipping an arm around Adachi's back and pulling him off the couch. Adachi slumps against Yu, amazed by how strong he is. Adachi isn't exactly a big guy, but he's still easily heavy enough to be carried by two people. He ponders commenting, but his brain has slowed down significantly and he's sure any thought that leaves his mouth will be incoherent and slurred. He simply tries his best to stay awake while Yu lugs him ungracefully up the stairs.

The two of them stagger unsteadily to the futon once they reach Yu's room, Adachi barely able to hold his eyes open at this point. As soon as his shoes bump the edge of the mattress, Adachi lets himself topple over onto it, limbs splaying in all different directions. Yu rips the blanket from under Adachi and drapes it over him, shaking his head and laughing softly at how silly the detective looks.

"Goodnight," Yu says quietly as he retreats to the door, "Sleep well." He lingers in the doorway for a few seconds, waiting for Adachi to answer him, but he's already fast asleep, snoring softly into Yu's pillow. A small smile twitches on Yu's lips before he finally closes the door, plods down the stairs and makes his place on the couch to sleep for the rest of the morning.

***

A cool hand pressed against his forehead is what wakes Adachi the next afternoon. He feels discombobulated and a little queasy, a dull pain settled behind his eyes. He blinks away the sleep to see Yu and Nanako poised over him, both looking concerned. He discovers that it's Yu's hand that is pressed to his forehead, his other hand gripping a bottle of what looks like cold medicine. Adachi stifles a groan as the pain in his head intensifies for a brief moment before trying to sit up.

"What time is it? I have to get to the station. The prefectural police..." Adachi brushes Yu's hand aside, and is startled when Yu firmly pushes him back down onto the futon. 

"Dad says don't worry, he'll take care of it. He said you should get some rest," Nanako says softly, throwing another blanket on top of Adachi. He opens his mouth to argue, but Yu is staring down at him with a stern expression.

"You're not going anywhere. Lay here and rest. Nanako and I will take care of you." Yu holds up the bottle of medicine and unscrews the cap. He pours a dose for Adachi and hands it to him. "Take this, it'll help." 

Adachi stares at the putrid purple liquid in the small cup and cringes before throwing his head back and drinking it down. His face scrunches up in disgust as he hands the cup back to Yu, the bitter taste of the medicine lingering in his mouth. He lets his head sink into the pillow and relaxes, the pain behind his eyes subsiding ever so slightly from the change in position. Nanako, feeling her presence is no longer needed, stands and pads out of the room, leaving Yu and Adachi alone. Yu's austere expression hasn't changed, but his hand has relaxed on Adachi's chest.

"Don't you have school?" Adachi says testily, shoving Yu's hand away.

"It's almost 5 in the evening," Yu replies with a frown, pulling his hand away, "I skipped basketball practice. Nanako is still pretty shy around you so I hurried home to make sure..."

"I don't need a high school kid babysitting me," Adachi bites, gritting his teeth. His headache is making him cranky and the way Yu is looking at him makes him feel a little anxious. "I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself." He tries to sit up again, only to feel Yu's fingers slide up and close around his shoulder and push him back down. 

"I don't care how old you are. Being sick isn't something to joke around about. If you keep overexerting yourself, you'll be useless. Rest while you have the chance." 

Adachi sighs in resignation and closes his eyes, allowing his body to ease into the mattress. Yu has a point but it's still annoying nonetheless. It shouldn't come as a surprise though; he's gotten close with the Dojima family as of late, especially Yu. It's a weird situation that started with a chance meeting in the Junes lobby and ended with a conversation that lasted late into the evening. 

Adachi smirks to himself thinking about it and Yu must have noticed because he makes a small noise of confusion. Adachi opens his eyes to see Yu peering down at him still, head cocked to the side. They both stare at each other until Yu finally breaks.

"What are you smirking for?"

Adachi admittedly had been preparing for this question. "I was just thinking about how funny it is... that we became friends." His face falls when he utters the word "friends". Maybe it wasn't the right term, but it seems to be the only accurate way to describe their relationship. With Dojima, it's strictly business. Nanako, she's like the little sister he never had, a young and impressionable girl that makes fun of his hairstyle and laughs at his stupid jokes and terrible artwork. But Yu had become something more. They'd spent hours talking about everything, from how to skip class in school without getting caught to the evil pet cat Adachi had as a child. He'd never talked about that stuff before, but it was easy with Yu. He always listened, never interrupted, and never seemed to disagree with anything Adachi said. 

Maybe, Adachi found himself thinking often, that if Yu wasn't so young, they would have gotten closer, but he always ended up shaking those thoughts from his head. Dojima would actually flay him alive, even if Yu was turning 18 in two months. 

Yu clears his throat and Adachi starts, completely forgetting that he is sitting right there. "You were saying?" Yu asks with blatant curiosity seeping into his voice, "About us being friends?"

"Oh, that, sorry. I..." Adachi covers his face with his hands and laughs dryly, "I spaced out for a minute there. I was just saying it's a little strange, don't you think? I didn't realize I'd become friends with a high schooler who's a decade younger than I am. I mean, what could you /possibly/ know about my problems? We live two completely different lives but..."

Adachi pauses, letting his hands fall from his face and looks at Yu with such intensity in his eyes that Yu pulls away slightly. "You listen when I talk. You're not like the guys on the force, or my family, or anyone I've ever met. You don't judge me. I mean, even I can admit I'm not the greatest guy, but you never seem to care. It's easy to talk to you. You're my friend." He chuckles nervously and combs his fingers through his matted hair. "I didn't mean to get sentimental. It's because of the cold medicine."

Yu is eerily silent as he watches Adachi, noting the way he's nervously trying to flatten a piece of hair to his head without looking at Yu. Adachi is pretty goofy and startles easily, but he can have a bit of an attitude sometimes. He gets annoyed by a lot of things and seems a little neurotic. Yu has noticed all of those things, but he's never seen Adachi act as vulnerable as he is right now. 

"Um..." Yu starts apprehensively, "You're not usually this honest."

Adachi rolls his eyes and grins weakly. "I told you, my inhibitions are lowered because you drugged me up. Am I making you uncomfortable? You're kind of... hurting my shoulder." 

Yu glances at his hand, still on Adachi's shoulder, but he's squeezing it hard and Adachi is wincing in pain. He lets go and pulls his hand away, perplexed by the way he's acting around Adachi all of a sudden. It would appear that they're both being a little more accessible than usual today. 

"I should let you rest," Yu mutters suddenly, attempting to stand, "I have to go help Nanako make dinner. Are you hungry? I'll bring you something." 

Adachi grabs Yu's wrist and pulls him back down. Yu struggles to keep his footing as Adachi reels him in closer, only inches away from his face now. Adachi's breath is hot and bitter from the medicine but Yu doesn't seem to mind.

"I'm not really hungry, no. But when you're finished, you should come back. I'm feeling a little restless and maybe talking to you will help." Adachi lets go of his wrist, but Yu hesitates there for just a little too long and Adachi grabs the collar of his shirt and kisses him.

It's chaste enough but it doesn't change the fact that it's /Adachi/ kissing him. Yu stays there for only a few seconds before jerking away and falling back on his ass. Adachi's eyes are on him, but his face is blank. Adachi is the first to speak, his voice low and saturated with something that sounds a lot like guilt.

"You should go help Nanako. I'll be fine." 

Yu flounders for a moment before regaining his composure. He nods wordlessly and pads toward the door, stealing one last glance at Adachi before disappearing. Adachi closes his eyes and listens to Yu's footsteps on the stairs. 

"What the hell was I thinking?" he mumbles to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. He licks his lips in an attempt to wipe the slate clean, to forget about what just happened. He's not even sure why he did it. He thinks he might just be a lonely, sick bastard who just wants someone to look at him like he's worth something. Or maybe it is just the medicine and he needs to sleep it off. Now that he thinks about it, his body feels like it weighs two tons and the soporific effects of the medicine Yu gave him are starting to take hold. 

He rolls on his side and lets his eyelids close. It doesn't take long for him to fall into a restless and dreamless sleep.

***

It's pitch black when Adachi wakes in a sheen of sweat, gasping, his skin burning with a fever. His fingers scrabble against the floor, looking for the bottle of medicine that he was certain Yu had left for him. His hand bumps into something soft and warm instead. Even in the darkness and with a fever-addled brain, he can at least tell that it's a person sleeping next to him.

"H-Hey," he whispers into the dark, gathering shirt fabric in his hand and tugging, "Wake up." There's a soft, muffled sound, followed by stirring and then, Yu's voice. 

"'Dachi? Wasswrong?" A hand presses to his cheek and immediately withdraws. The only noise he can hear is Yu shuffling around and then a small desk lamp comes on. The sudden light makes Adachi squint his eyes, but he can make out Yu striding back over to him and grabbing the bottle of medicine from the floor between them. While Yu pours a rather large dose of medication, Adachi turns his gaze to the small pallet next to him. It's a mess of blankets and pillows, a makeshift bed that couldn't be too comfortable. 

Yu hands him the cup and Adachi drinks it without tasting, the pain in his head chasing away all his other senses. He hands the empty cup back to Yu before turning onto his side and curling in on himself, his body in a strange limbo between scorching hot and freezing cold. He lets out a strangled groan of pain as all his muscles stretch and pull against their will. He can feel Yu's eyes watching him carefully and then he feels the gentle touch of fingertips to his cheek.

"Is there anything I can do? The medicine will take a little while to kick in. Until then, I want you to be comfortable." Yu's fingers brush delicately across Adachi's cheek before tangling in his damp hair. Adachi is sure that this is some strange fever dream, especially after what happened earlier. But the tender press of Yu's fingertips against his scalp feels too nice and even if it is a dream, he'll gladly accept it. 

"Feels nice," Adachi rasps out with a languid smile, "Mmm, yeah, helps my head." The pounding is his head is diminishing, but he's not sure if it's because of the medicine or because Yu is massaging with purpose now. Adachi looks up at the kid he's come to befriend, with his silver hair that's a little too shaggy and his dark gray eyes that are full of uncertainty. His lazy smile widens, becoming a goofy grin, as he reaches up to touch Yu's face. He brushes his thumb across those soft lips that have probably broken the hearts of many girls. 

"You came back," Adachi mumbles softly as he fights off sleep, "What's up with that?" He tries to laugh but his ribs ache and the sound is cut off by a sharp, quick inhale. Yu grabs Adachi's hand and holds it tightly, a small smile working it's way across his lips. 

"You can't get rid of me that easily." Yu brings Adachi's hand to his lips and kisses it softly before letting go. Adachi uses it to tug the pile of blankets up around his face. A violent shiver wracks his body and Yu instinctively moves closer. 

"Are you cold?" Adachi's slow nod is all Yu needs before he steps over Adachi and settles into the spot between him and the wall. He wraps his arms around Adachi and the detective immediately relaxes. If it was anyone else, Yu may have found this situation very weird and awkward, but for some reason, being able to protect Adachi made him feel /different/. All of his friends could hold their own, but Yu isn't so sure about Adachi. He's always getting yelled at by Dojima and constantly gets picked on by everyone else around him. Even behind his dorky smiles and carefree demeanor, his eyes are cold and hard and unhappy. Yu is up for the challenge of being the one to change that.

Adachi's even breathing lets Yu know that he's fallen asleep again. He realizes he's forgotten to turn off the light, but Adachi's body is radiating warmth that makes him too drowsy to care. He buries his face in Adachi's short, unkempt hair and closes his eyes, the faint scent of sweat and citrus filling his nostrils.

***

"Damnit, Adachi, wake up!"

A familiar, deep voice startles Adachi out of his sleep. He sits straight up and looks around frantically. His eyes finally focus on Dojima standing in the doorway, arms crossed. 

"It's almost 2 and you're still sleeping? I gave you a day off, not a week! Go home, shower then get to the station. Is that clear?" Before Adachi can answer, Dojima has slammed the door behind him and stomped down the stairs. A few moments later, he hears the rev of an engine and the squeal of tires on pavement.

Adachi sighs and rubs at the back of his neck. He's happy to find that his head has mostly stopped hurting and he's not experiencing bipolar temperature shifts. He looks around and sees his things piled up at the foot of the futon. His shoes, watch, wallet and cell phone are all there, neatly stacked. On top of it is what looks like a note. Adachi stretches and shimmies out from under the monstrous pile of blankets, reaching for the note on top of his things. It's from Yu.

_Here are your things. You jacket is hanging on the back of the desk chair. I hope that you are feeling better today. No matter what my uncle says, you should rest until you're completely well. If you leave before I get home from school, please call me. -Narukami_

Adachi grins before folding the note in half and shoving it in his pocket. He stands and picks up his things, carefully replacing each item before he saunters downstairs. Nanako is watching TV but hops up when Adachi reaches the bottom of the steps.

"Oh! Are you feeling better, Mister Adachi?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Nanako-chan. If it hadn't been for you and your big bro, I would have been a goner!" 

Nanako giggles and nods her head in response before returning to sit in front of the TV. Adachi watches her with a smile for a moment before turning and walking toward the front door. 

"Bye, Nanako-chan!"

"Bye-bye!"

When Adachi steps outside, the sweltering heat knocks the air out of his lungs. Damn, he hates the summertime. He decides to take his jacket off, carrying it over his shoulder as he heads for the bus stop. The whole ride back to his tiny apartment on the other side of town, all he can think about is Yu. Was the night before a dream? It certainly hadn't felt like it, but one's mind can do crazy things when it's under stress. He remembers Yu's note, instructing him to call once school was over. The real question is, should he even bother calling? Adachi can't help but worry about how complicated things might become if last night wasn't just a dream. Yu is still a minor and under the care of Dojima, his higher up on the squad. That could be a mess in and of itself. Even so, the way Yu hadn't hesitated when Adachi needed him makes his heart palpitate in his chest. Before last night, Adachi had thought about this whole thing as another pointless crush, but now, he wasn't sure.

Yu might even have feelings for him.

He nearly misses his stop and almost trips up the stairs, but he makes it inside unharmed. His small studio apartment is the same as ever. Everything is neat and orderly except for the futon, which has become a nest of blankets. A small fishbowl sits on the table next to the couch, but it appears that the fish has died while he was out. The blue beta is floating at the top, belly up. Adachi sighs and drops his jacket on the nearest chair then kicks his shoes off. He walks over to the bowl and snags the fish from it. He takes it to the bathroom and flushes it down the toilet without a second thought. It's the third fish he's had that's died over the last couple of months. Honestly, he's not even home enough to feed the damn things.

He puts the thoughts of fish aside and strips down naked, but not before extracting Yu's note from his pocket and placing it on the table next to the fishbowl. He nearly sprints to the bathroom, his aching muscles in serious need of hot water. He turns the faucet on and while he waits for the water to heat up, he looks at himself in the mirror. He frowns, attempting to smooth down cowlick after cowlick. The dark circles under his eyes are intense even though he got a pretty good amount of sleep the past two nights. His ribs are visible now and it's a harsh reminder that he needs to remember to eat something besides instant noodles once a day.

The mirror starts to steam up so he steps into the shower, hissing as hot water pelts his skin. He finds his mind wandering to Yu again, but his thoughts are much more vulgar this time. He wonders what Yu's body looks like and what it might be like to trace his fingertips over every inch of him. Before he knows it, he's hard as hell and pissed at himself for even thinking like that. He doesn't have the energy to get off so he focuses his mind on other things, like dead fish and how he's going to have to walk to the station in the miserable heat. It does the trick, but Yu is still there in the back of his mind, taunting him.

After an hour long shower plus another thirty minutes devoted to getting dressed, Adachi heads to the station. When he arrives, Dojima is sitting at his desk flipping through a file and looking perturbed. Adachi sits across from him and takes another file from the top of the stack. 

"Hey, Dojima-san. What's with that look? Is there a development in the case?" Adachi pretends to be interested in the file he's looking at, but Dojima's expression is holding all of his attention. It's a strange mix of annoyance and apprehension. 

"Yeah, actually. There's a suspect we're trying to track down but it looks like he's disappeared. His name is Mitsuo Kubo, some high school kid. He's the same kid we brought in for questioning last week, but his story just didn't match up. Well, looks like he definitely killed Kinshiro Morooka, but I'm still not convinced about Konishi and Yamano..." Dojima looks up at Adachi, silently asking for some kind of input on the matter.

"Kubo... yeah, we brought him in right after Morooka was killed but they released him the next day..." Adachi recalls, scratching his chin, "They still haven't found the kid?"

Dojima shakes his head and starts scanning the file again. "Even if he is responsible for killing Morooka, I'm almost 100% certain he had nothing to do with the first two murders. What motive would he have? It just doesn't add up." Dojima continues to look over the file, but looks up after a moment to find Adachi with his head in his hands. 

"You don't have to stay if you're still ill. Go home and rest." 

Adachi lifts his face up and cocks a brow at Dojima. "Oh, no, don't worry about it. My head feels a little funny but I can stay." Adachi remembers Dojima's coarse words earlier this afternoon and reminds himself that he's only got to stay for an hour or two. Then, he can go home and pass out. 

But Dojima doesn't seem convinced and his stern expression softens for a brief second. "You're useless if you can't function. Go home. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Dojima forces a smile and then goes back to reading Kubo's file.

"Thank you, sir. See you tomorrow." Adachi stands and turns unsteadily, his head swimming from getting up too fast. He curses under his breath for even wasting his time coming to the station in the first place. He should have just called.

Speaking of calling... he still needs to call Yu. He figures Yu is probably at some club practice or hanging out with friends, but he may as well try it now since he's got time to kill. He flips his phone open to find that Yu is one step ahead of him. An unread text message awaits his response.

_Can you meet me at Junes at 5? I need to talk to you. -Narukami_

Adachi glances at the time. It's almost 4:30, but he can make it to Junes in half an hour no problem. He closes his phone without replying and starts to walk briskly in the direction of Junes. On his way, he manages to run into one of Yu's friend's, the stupid looking one with the floppy hair who really likes the color orange.

"Oh, Adachi-san! Are you feeling better? Yu said you were pretty sick yesterday." The kid, whose name Adachi remembers is Yosuke, stops directly in front of him and grins.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, much better thanks to Narukami and Nanako-chan. Um..." Adachi glances at his watch. He's only got 9 more minutes to get to Junes, "Listen, I'm a little busy. I can't really chat!" Adachi pushes past Yosuke with a sigh of relief and is incredibly annoyed when he hears the kid call out after him.

"You? Busy? That's a real shocker! See you later, Adachi-san." 

Adachi gives Yosuke a curt wave before jogging the rest of the way to Junes. He gets there with 2 minutes to spare thankfully and Yu is nowhere to be seen. He buys an iced coffee from the vending machine in the lobby and chugs it down. For some reason, his heart is racing and he highly doubts it's the caffeine that's affecting him. He wonders what it is that Yu wants to talk about.

He's lost in thought when Yu taps him on the shoulder. He swivels on his heel and almost falls over, dropping the empty can of coffee. "You scared the shit out of me!" Adachi stutters as he leans down to pick up the can. Yu smirks at him and snatches the can from his grasp, tossing it in the trashcan a few feet away. 

"I want to go somewhere," Yu states simply, fidgeting with the collar of his school uniform, "If that's okay with you." Adachi's eyes meet Yu's and there's something in them that catches him off guard. His eyes are warm and liquid, just like they were the night before, and Adachi swallows hard to keep from losing his cool.

"Okay. Where do you want to go?" 

"How about the hill overlooking town? It's quiet up there."

Adachi nods stiffly and follows Yu outside. The sun is setting and students are still milling about outside of Junes. Adachi and Yu make their way towards the hill wordlessly. Thankfully for Adachi, they don't see anyone from the squad out and about and they make it to the top of the hill without any complications. Just as Yu said, it's quiet and serene here and besides the occasional jogger, they're alone. Yu takes a seat on one of the benches facing town and Adachi sits next to him, trying to swallow the hard lump in his throat. Yu stares out at the town silently for a few minutes before turning to Adachi and grinning.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Adachi lies, turning away from Yu to stare at the town below. 

Moments pass in silence before Yu finally musters up the courage to broach the next topic. "Do you remember anything from last night?" 

The question is simple enough, but Adachi isn't sure how to answer. Should he lie and say he doesn't? That might be the more ethical thing to do in this situation. Or should he just tell the truth and take a chance? After all, life is about taking risks and this might be the only exciting thing that happens to him in the little rural town. 

After some deliberation, Adachi finally meets Yu's eyes. "I thought it was a dream. I was so sick last night and I was sure I scared you away when I kissed you suddenly like that. But I remember it all, even if things are a little fuzzy around the edges." 

Yu's face remains blank and Adachi feels his heart sink. That was the wrong answer. He should have lied, he should have said he didn't remember it at all. Yu must see the anguish in Adachi's face because his expression changes. He reaches out and touches Adachi's face the same way he did last night. Adachi inhales deeply, letting his eyes close, feeling Yu's fingertips glide across his cheekbone.

"I don't know what to think about all of this," Yu whispers shakily, pressing his forehead to Adachi's, "I didn't realize..." 

"That you fell in love with me?" Adachi blurts out, "At least, that's what I got from the events that transpired last night."

Yu stiffens for a split second before reaching for Adachi's hand. "Love is a strong word."

"You're right, love is a strong word. But you can't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. I'm a trained detective, I know how to read people." Adachi snickers quietly to himself, a hint of mischief in his voice. "If you love me, you should tell me."

"I..." Yu starts to speak, but pulls away first, staring into Adachi's eyes, "I care about you, but I have my reservations about this..."

"You think I don't? I'm ten years older than you and work under Dojima, who just so happens to be your uncle. We're also both guys. But if you want this..."

"I do!" Yu spouts, squeezing Adachi's hand. Adachi leans back and smiles lopsidedly, lacing his fingers with Yu's.

"Well..." Adachi surveys the area before leaning in and pressing a kiss to the space just below Yu's ear, "If that's the case, it'll be our little secret. You can't tell anyone, not even your friends. I'm trusting you." He grabs Yu's chin and pulls him in for an actual kiss. The sensation he gets is like electricity through his veins, his entire being tingling with excitement and exhilaration. When Adachi pulls away, Yu is breathless and blushing, his lips quirked into a small smile.

"Yeah. Our secret." Yu fists his free hand in Adachi's hair and pulls him into another kiss, more urgent than the one before. When the two of them break apart, they're both panting, mouths wet and red. The two of them stay there, chatting about various things. All the while, their hands are clasped between them, fingers locked together tightly. 

It's Yu who breaks off their conversation around 9:30, kissing Adachi on the forehead and bidding him a good night. It's not until Yu is out of sight that Adachi leans back and looks up at the stars. The best part about the country is the stars. You can see all of them and it reminds him of how small and insignificant he is in this world. Maybe this decision wasn't the right one. Maybe he should have just left Yu alone and gone about his life. But it's an intoxicating feeling, to know that he is loved by someone and that for once, he feels the same.


	2. Autumn

"Adachi, get off your god damn phone and do some work!" Dojima shouts from three desks away, "Seriously, who the hell are you texting so much? Your girlfriend?"

Adachi peers at Dojima over a stack of papers and smiles sheepishly, snapping his phone shut and putting it on his desk. "Sorry, Dojima-san. I got carried away." He picks up a file from the leftmost stack on his desk and flips through it before his phone buzzes again. He sees Dojima glare at him and quickly tucks his phone away in his pocket. 

He sneaks a peek at the text a few moments later when Dojima runs to get a cup of coffee.

_Still on for 8? -Yu_

Adachi quickly thumbs a reply and clicks send just in time. 

_yeah. meet me @ shopping dist bus stop. we can go together._

He shoves the phone into his pocket and resumes working, but the only thing he can think about is Yu. It's been a few months since they started seeing each other but their "dates" had mostly consisted of going on walks and chaperoned dinners at the Dojima household. When Yu had brought up the idea of having dinner at Adachi's place, he'd been a little hesitant to accept, but decided that it's better than eating dinner with Dojima and Nanako around.

At 4:13, Yu sends Adachi another text message. 

_At Junes. What do you want for dinner? -Yu_

Adachi is just about to type a reply when a voice behind him startles him. He swivels around in his chair to see Shirogane looking at him with a quirked brow, holding a manila folder. She had just recently returned to the IPD after going missing for a few days earlier in the month. It was then that it came out that the Detective Prince was actually a princess. That wasn't the thing that bothered Adachi the most though. No, what bugged him to no end was the fact that she was constantly hanging over his shoulder. 

He had his suspicions why. After asking Yu about it, he quickly learned that Shirogane was a friend of Yu's from school. They were actually rather close. The trouble was that Naoto Shirogane was an amazing detective even for her age... one slip up and Yu and Adachi would be outed to everyone in no time. 

To Adachi's knowledge, she still hadn't figured it out, but she did frequently ask him why he talked to Narukami so much. He always made up some lame excuse and Naoto seemed to buy it every time. Today, however, seems like he might not be able to get away with the usual lie.

"What business do you have with Narukami-kun?" Naoto asks, handing the manila folder to Adachi, "If you don't mind me asking."

Adachi laughs nervously and scratches his nose, setting the folder down on his desk without so much as glancing at it. "He was actually asking me for advice on what to make a girl for dinner."

Naoto's eyes narrow as she leans down to pick up another file off of Adachi's desk. "That's not what it looked like to me."

"I'm being serious here!" He licks his lips and opens the file Naoto gave him. Another domestic violence case. Boring. 

"Adachi-san, can I have a word with you... in private?" 

"U-Uh... sure thing... just let me..."

"Now!" Naoto shouts, startling several people at the neighboring desks, including Dojima. He narrows his eyes and watches as Adachi and Naoto walk to the meeting room together. 

Once the two of them slip into the meeting room, Naoto lets loose a fury that Adachi didn't know she had in her.

"Adachi-san, I don't know what's going on between you and Narukami, but it's affecting your work. Don't lie to me. How are you two involved with each other?"

Adachi rolls his eyes and sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I already told you over and over again. I'm always over at the Dojima house for dinner. He's become like a brother to me." 

"Right..." Naoto mutters sarcastically, closing the distance between them and jabbing a finger into a bruise on Adachi's neck, "What is this, then?"

"Oh, come on! What makes you jump to the conclusion that a guy left a bite mark on my neck?" Adachi pulls away and covers the mark with his hand.

"Judging by the size of the mark and the shape, I would say that no woman could leave a mark like that. Therefore, it must have been a man. And if I'm not mistaken, I happened to witness you making secret dinner plans with Narukami on the phone just now." 

Shit. Naoto's backed him into a corner. He's got no choice now. He takes a deep breath and rubs at the back of his neck. "Shirogane, I'm about to tell you something that you may or may not agree with. All that I ask is that you keep it to yourself. Do we have an agreement?" Adachi looks at her with ferocity in his eyes and she nods tersely.

"Yu and I are... together, I guess? I don't really know how to explain the situation but..."

"You what!?" 

"Will you calm down for a second and let me explain? It's nothing... sexual. I care about him, he cares about me. That's it. Besides, he's going to be 18 in less than a month. If he decides he wants to take the relationship..."

Naoto interrupts, a deep red blush coloring her cheeks. "I've heard enough! I don't care what you do in your free time but don't let it affect your work and... well..." She pauses before clearing her throat and starts again, trying to maintain her professional air. "Narukami is my friend. If you hurt him, I can promise you that it will not be a pleasant experience."

Adachi grits his teeth and narrows his eyes, balling his hands into fists. "Are you threatening me?"

"Yes, I suppose I am."

His anger subsides and he allows his fists to unclench. "You don't have to worry about that. I love him."

Adachi peers at Naoto to see that she is fidgeting. "Love is a strong word, Adachi-san."

He can't help but laugh softly at Naoto's words, clapping her on the shoulder. "You know what's funny? He said the same thing. Now, can I get back to work?" Naoto nods dejectedly and slips out of the meeting room without another word. Adachi is halfway out the door when Dojima grabs him and leads him to the break room. 

"H-Hey! Dojima-san, what the hell?" 

Dojima doesn't say anything, simply shoves Adachi into the break room and locks the door behind him. "I want you to be straight with me, Adachi..." Dojima hesitates and Adachi panics. Did Dojima hear everything that he talked about with Naoto just now? 

"W-What is it, sir?"

"Are you... well, are you in a relationship with Shirogane?" Adachi looks up at Dojima and squints before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Oh! That's hilarious! No, hell no!"

"Then what was that just now?"

Adachi wipes the tears from his eyes and straightens up before answering Dojima. "She was berating me for my work performance. I've been falling really behind lately. I told her it won't happen again." 

Dojima seems unconvinced but doesn't say anything else about it. He's about to leave when he turns around and looks at Adachi sadly.

"Adachi, there's something else..."

"What is it?" Adachi is utterly confused by Dojima's tone. It's gentle somehow. 

"Actually, forget it. Never mind." Before Adachi can ask, Dojima has left the room and his phone buzzes with another text message. He decides to ignore Dojima's weird mood for now, flipping his phone open and skimming the text that Yu sent.

_There's something I want to talk to you about. It's nothing bad, but I want to know what you think. Can you meet me a little early? -Yu_

Adachi raises an eyebrow and quickly replies.

_sure thing. be right there._

***

As promised, Adachi meets up with Yu at the bus stop and together, they take the bus to his apartment on the far side of town. The whole way, Adachi slumps against Yu and watches him as he plays some ridiculous game on his cell phone. When they arrive, the two of them walk hand in hand to Adachi's apartment building. The second Adachi opens the door, Yu seems amazed by the place. He drops the groceries on the kitchen counter and spends ten minutes poking at Adachi's random trinkets and comparing the books on his bookshelf to ones he's read before.

It's not until the two of them settle on the couch that Yu finally comes out with what he wanted to say before. "I've been thinking about it lately," Yu says as he nips at Adachi's earlobe. 

"Thinking about what?" Adachi murmurs, running his fingers through Yu's silky hair. He has a feeling he knows what's coming next, but he wants Yu to /say it/.

"Sex," Yu says bluntly, looking straight at Adachi. The detective raises his eyebrows and grins sinisterly, licking his lips.

"Oh, have you now?" Adachi's voice changes from bubbly and aloof to sultry and mischievous in a matter of seconds. It steals the breath right out of Yu's lungs and it takes him a long moment to recover before he can talk again.

"Yes. I think it's something I'd like to try with you if..." Yu stops and looks at Adachi curiously, his finger tracing over the faded bite mark on Adachi's neck.

Adachi chuckles and presses a firm kiss to Yu's mouth, fingers tangling in a mass of silver hair. When he pulls away, he's grinning, but there's a glint of lust in his eyes. "Why are you so shy all of a sudden?" 

Yu can't bring himself to look away from Adachi's eyes, hungry and yearning. He opens his mouth to speak, but Adachi yanks him forward by his hair and kisses him ferociously. He licks into Yu's mouth without relenting, his hasty hands untangling from the mess of Yu's hair and sliding down to grip his hips. Adachi breaks away after assaulting Yu's mouth with his own, an impish smile playing on his lips as his panting slowly wanes. Yu's wet lips tremble as Adachi slides a teasing hand over the crotch of Yu's pants. 

"Please," Yu creaks out, clenching his eyes shut, "I'll do anything."

Adachi's grin widens as he stands, leaving Yu gasping on the couch. "After dinner, show me what you mean by anything," Adachi drawls as he pads to the kitchen, flipping on a switch to illuminate the now darkened apartment. He hears Yu groan from the couch and watches him adjust before coming to join Adachi in the kitchen. The first thing he does is grab the two bags of groceries from the counter and starts to prep everything for dinner while Adachi watches him, obviously disinterested in the idea of cooking.

45 minutes pass and the two of them sit down at the table to eat. The sexual tension is heavy, but Yu thinks it would probably be best to not think about that right now and just have a normal conversation at the dinner table. "How was your day?" Yu asks stiffly, trying not to meet Adachi's eyes. He feels like he's just making it more awkward, but he can't help it. Every time he looks at Adachi now, all he can think about are those long fingers wrapped around his cock.

Adachi's voice brings Yu back to the small talk which he realizes he's been tuning out for a whole minute and a half. "...And then Shirogane said, 'You do what you want but if you hurt Yu'..." 

"Wait, what?" Yu blinks and tilts his head to the side, "You talked to Naoto about /us/?"

Adachi furrows his brow and stuffs another big bite of food into his mouth. "I knew you weren't listening. Yeah, she kind of saw one of the messages you sent me, but it didn't seem to bother her too much."

"Adachi-san..."

"Yu."

"... Sorry... um, I mean, Tohru. That's... not good. I'll catch hell from my friends if they find out and... what if my uncle...?" 

"If Dojima finds out, you let me take care of that. Don't worry about it. It'll be fine." Adachi goes back to shoveling food in his mouth like he's been starving for days but Yu can't seem to quell the anxiety that has filled his chest. 

"I'm glad you're enjoying dinner," Yu says slowly as he sets his chopsticks down next to his plate. Adachi stops dead in his tracks and reaches across the table with his free hand to grab Yu's.

"Nothing is going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. But I thought it would make you feel better," Adachi teases, retracting his hand back to his side of the table, "We're going to have to tell everyone eventually anyway, you know." 

Yu looks down at his lap and sighs, picking his chopsticks back up and staring blankly at his food. "I know that..."

"Eat and stop worrying. It's not a big deal." Adachi finishes his food, picking practically every last grain of rice off of his plate before sitting back and patting his stomach. Yu continues to stare at his food as he pushes it around on the plate before Adachi clears his throat and catches Yu's attention.

"You're a really good cook. I would be okay having you as my personal chef since I can't cook worth crap." He laughs and the sound brings Yu back to reality. He's here with Adachi, having a real dinner with the man he cares about more than anyone else, and he should be thankful for that. 

"Thanks," Yu replies warmly, setting his chopsticks down again. He reaches across the table to lace his fingers with Adachi's. They're both quiet, reveling in the moment, before Adachi's stomach growls loudly and he turns pink.

"Uhh... heh... sorry." Before Adachi can say anything else, Yu has pushed his plate, still half full, across the table. Adachi blinks a few times before scratching his chin. 

"Are you sure?"

Yu nods and Adachi doesn't hold back for even a second. He grabs the plate and starts to eat ravenously, still holding Yu's hand loosely. 

"You really should eat more. You can't live off of instant noodles and cabbage," Yu reminds him, squeezing his hand tightly, "I'm surprised you're not a skeleton."

The plate is clean within moments and Adachi can't help but bring Yu's hand to his lips and kiss it gingerly. "If you were here cooking for me, I would eat better. But between the availability of vending machines at the station and my laziness, I can't be bothered with cooking. I'm surprised I'm not fat from all the junk food I eat."

"The crazy amounts of caffeine you consume balances it all out." 

"Probably," Adachi says with a serious nod, rubbing his belly with his free hand, "One day it's all going to catch up to me though and I'll look like that one guy... oh, what's his name? That kid that's some kind of gourmet expert on TV?"

Yu stares at Adachi, trying to envision him pudgy, before breaking out into hysterical laughter. It's a little reminiscent of Yukiko's laughing fits, his entire frame shaking. It's not long before Adachi is laughing too, snorting unabashedly. It takes them a few minutes to calm down before Yu looks up and catches Adachi watching him with what could only be described as "bedroom eyes". 

"You didn't forget, did you?" Adachi's voice is low and sensuous. It makes Yu's dick so hard it hurts and he's not exactly sure he can move.

"N-No, I didn't..." 

"Then what are we waiting for?" 

Yu fidgets, looking down at his very obvious erection and feeling a little embarrassed. Adachi is seemingly unfazed, the only sign of his arousal the look in his eyes. Yu remembers that Adachi is also 10 years older than him and probably has a lot more experience with this sort of thing. 

"U-Um, I'm not so sure anymore," Yu says without thinking. Adachi's face falls and Yu immediately regrets opening his mouth. "No, what I meant was..."

Adachi is next to Yu before he can finish his sentence. He puts an arm around Yu and pulls him close, resting his head against Yu's shoulder. "Okay, what are you worried about?"

Yu quirks a brow and blushes. "I-I'm not."

"Yes, you are," Adachi grumbles, a little annoyed, "You wouldn't have said that if you didn't mean it. We're going to talk about it and figure it out."

Yu can't help blushing and turning away from Adachi, but he knows that Adachi is /right/. He doesn't want this to be a rut they get stuck in because he can't own up to his fears about sex. "I'm worried that I won't live up to your expectations. I'm sure you have a lot of... experience and..."

"Whoa, wait." Adachi puts a hand over Yu's mouth and grimaces. "If we're being honest with each other here, then I need to tell you something. I'm probably not nearly as experienced as you think I am and you're being a dumbass for assuming that you won't live up to my expectations."

Yu finally finds the courage to look at Adachi, looking for any hint of deceit in his eyes. But there's nothing. Adachi's eyes are sincere and honest. Yu's chest doesn't feel so tight anymore. "Okay... I believe you... but... one last thing..." Yu bites his own lip and Adachi twitches slightly at the action, "Will it hurt?"

Adachi smiles and rolls his eyes, reaching up to place his palm on Yu's cheek, his thumb grazing over the little bit of lip that is still exposed. "How cliché can you get? If it hurts, all you have to do is say so." 

That is all Yu needs to push his doubts away. Without falter, Yu nips at Adachi's thumb lingering by his own mouth before lapping at it brazenly. Adachi freezes and then lets himself enjoy the small but adequately arousing action, a soft groan escaping his throat. 

"The futon is o-over there..." Adachi stutters, watching Yu grab his hand and lick across his knuckles. Yu peers up at Adachi as his tongue slides over each knuckle and his eyes are like liquid metal. The pent up sexual frustration from what seems like years suddenly crashes down over Adachi and he jerks his hand away.

"Futon... now..." he growls, standing and tugging Yu toward him. Yu continues to watch Adachi but doesn't budge, a playful smile twitching on his lips. Adachi doesn't seem thrilled but lets go of Yu's wrist to wrestle with his pants. Yu watches in amusement as Adachi struggles to unbutton his pants and then just rips them open, the button popping off and the zipper coming off the track. Yu can tell that's he's incredibly turned on and not playing games anymore.

Adachi takes one good long look at Yu before he mutters dangerously, "If you won't do it, then I'll do it myself." They lock eyes and there is only a split second of stillness before Yu practically leaps off the floor and tackles Adachi. He rucks Adachi's shirt up and nibbles at the skin just below his navel. Adachi kicks his legs and moans unashamedly, trying to get his pants off as fast as humanly possible.

"Calm down," Yu murmurs against Adachi's hip bone, pressing a hard kiss there that leaves Adachi gasping and clawing at the floor. The reaction sends a jolt of something akin to electricity through Yu's veins as he watches Adachi come apart under him. Yu sits up and pulls Adachi's pants off without much effort before dipping his head down to mouth at Adachi's cock through his boxer briefs. 

"O-Oh, fuck you," Adachi half snarls and half moans, gritting his teeth, "I'm going to come before you even get started if you keep up with tha--" He inhales sharply as Yu tugs Adachi's underwear down to his ankles and licks up the underside of his shaft. Yu's movements are sloppy and inexperienced, but Adachi enjoys it nonetheless, his body writhing as Yu swallows his cock down and sucks him off relentlessly.

When Yu stops suddenly, Adachi pushes up on his elbows and glares at him. "Don't stop," he rasps out, fisting a hand in Yu's bangs and pulling hard. He can feel Yu fighting him, trying to break free of Adachi's grasp, and fuck, does that turn him on more than he thought was possible. His cock twitches, Yu smirks, and it's that moment that Adachi realizes that this has become a game. 

Adachi wriggles out from under Yu without much difficulty and sits up, legs still open wide. Yu watches him warily as he starts to stroke himself nonchalantly, his eyes never leaving Yu's. When his pace quickens, he bites his lip but doesn't tear his gaze away. He's so close to coming that it hurts and he can't stop the words that start rolling out of his mouth without warning. "All I can seem to think about these days is that precious face of yours covered in my come. It's a damn shame that it might go to waste because you're being a little /brat/."

Adachi's words make Yu flinch and he has to squeeze his own dick through his pants. Adachi laughs but it sounds strange, almost diabolical, but it's cut off by a loud, harsh moan. The noise sends a thrill down Yu's spine and he instinctively reaches out to still Adachi's hand. Adachi shivers and bucks his hips, his appetite for contact growing as the seconds tick by. Yu pries Adachi's fingers away from his cock and replaces it with his own hand. He strokes Adachi lazily with one hand before stopping abruptly and pushing Adachi back down onto the floor. Yu licks across the head of Adachi's cock, tasting a little bit of pre-come, before swallowing him down again. 

Adachi fists both hands in Yu's hair this time, his entire body tense as he gets closer and closer to climax. He whimpers as the pleasure envelopes him and before he knows it, he's on the brink. Yu pulls away instantly and works Adachi with his hand ruthlessly until he finally comes all over Yu's face, his moans sounding more like sobs as he rides out his orgasm. When he's finally calmed down enough to think and breathe again, he looks at Yu with half-lidded, lust blown eyes.

Come is dribbling from his chin and running down his neck, and there's a little bit in his hair and some just under his left eye. Adachi's breath catches before he grabs Yu and pulls him up to kiss him hard, licking the come from around his mouth. He rolls them over so that Yu is on his back now and before the other can even react, he's unbuttoning Yu's shirt and pinching a nipple between his fingers. Yu's moans shake his chest, leave him gasping for air, and it makes Adachi even more determined to give him the best orgasm he'll ever have. He runs his tongue down the center of Yu's chest before veering off to the left and grabbing the unoccupied nipple in his mouth. Adachi can feel Yu freeze up under him, but a series of broken groans lets him know that it's definitely not because Yu isn't enjoying it. 

He only stays there for a moment before moving on, licking a long, clean strip down the middle of Yu's stomach. He circles around Yu's navel with his tongue before slowly nibbling his way down his smooth lower stomach. When he reaches the button on Yu's pants, he grabs it in his mouth and works it free, as his hand undoes the zipper. Adachi doesn't even bother pulling his pants down, only shoves his hand under the elastic waist of Yu's boxers and pulls out his dick. Yu makes a surprised noise and throws his head back, his fingers combing through Adachi's hair.

Adachi teases Yu with his mouth, licking up the side of his cock with his tongue before pulling away and grinning. Yu can't help but think that Adachi looks predatory, ready to strike down his prey at any moment. Right now, he's just taunting him before he takes him out in one fell swoop. 

"Please... Ada... mmph... I mean Tohru..." He closes his eyes and tries to thrust his hips up. Adachi's hands immediately move to grip his hips, keeping Yu firmly planted on the floor. 

"I don't think so." Adachi digs his fingertips into Yu's skin. He doesn't doubt that there will be bruises there tomorrow; they are a small reminder that Yu is his and only his. "I want to hear you beg for it." He presses a wet kiss to Yu's hip bone before moving to nuzzle the base of his cock. 

Yu can only groan softly, working against Adachi's solid hold on his hips, desperate to be touched. "Please... please... I said I'll do anything," Yu moans helplessly, "Anything." 

"Hmmm?" A hint of amusement is in Adachi's voice before he bites into Yu's thigh and sucks hard. "Anything? That's so vague. I want you to tell me what you /want/..." 

"You! You, I want you!" Yu is gasping and shaking now as Adachi moves a hand to slide over his erection, eliciting a long, deep groan. 

"How do you want me?"

"Tohru..."

"Tell me how you want me!" Adachi shouts suddenly, slamming his fist against the floor. Yu is so startled that he flinches away and stares down at Adachi with wide eyes. 

"Are you... okay?"

"Shut up... just shut up."

"I thought you were just..."

"Yu, don't talk." Adachi looks up at Yu and for a split second, he sees fear and pain in Yu's eyes. They quickly change when Adachi presses his palm against Yu's dick before wrapping his fingers slowly around him. He's not in the mood to use his mouth anymore, bile rising in his throat either from anger or embarrassment or both. He doesn't even take it slow, his hand tight around Yu's cock and working quickly. It's only a minute before Yu covers his mouth with his hand and he spurts come that leaves wet spots on his uniform. 

Adachi lays his head down against Yu's thigh and sighs deeply, angry at himself for snapping. It's hard to stay mad for too long though, because Yu is playing with his hair. Between that, the food and the sex, he's ready to pass out in this exact spot and not wake up for at least 12 hours. It's not until Yu sits up and presses a kiss to the top of Adachi's head that he finally manages to pull himself off the floor and stop sulking. He quickly brings his knees to his chest and hides his face, feeling ashamed. Yu reaches out and touches his forehead, brushing a piece of stray hair away. 

"What's wrong?" Yu's voice is pleasant and tender, careful not to set Adachi off again.

"It's nothing."

"No, tell me what it is."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does."

"Yu, please."

"No." Yu reaches out and takes Adachi's face in his hands. "You can tell me."

Adachi doesn't meet Yu's eyes, contemplating whether or not he should just say what he's thinking or make up an excuse. Yu has been more of a support system than his parents, his ex-girlfriend and his older sister had been combined thus far and he didn't see why he shouldn't be honest. Part of the reason might be that he doesn't want to scare Yu away but he thinks that's a moot point. He's certain Yu doesn't care about that...

"I spent a lot of my time alone up until recently. I like it that way, I don't like people prying into my life. You were the one who changed that and now I feel... I don't know how to say this." Adachi tries to hide his face again, but Yu is holding him there firmly, looking at him with gentle eyes. Adachi takes a deep breath and tries again. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've let my guard down with you more than I expected. I'm used to being unwanted. It's easy for me to sweep it under the rug and forget about it. Just now, I don't really know why I reacted like that. I guess I was just... scared... that you didn't want me like I thought you did."

When Yu smiles, it reaches his eyes, and he grazes the pad of his thumb across Adachi's cheek. "It's partly my fault. I should have said what I wanted. I'm sorry." He leans in and kisses Adachi's forehead before moving down to kiss his lips.

They stay like that for what feels like hours, even though it's probably only a few minutes, before Adachi breaks away and mutters under his breath, "I love you." 

Yu raises his eyebrows in surprise, before pulling Adachi into a tight hug. He presses his face into Adachi's neck and laughs softly, breathing in the familiar scent of citrus. "You said it."

Adachi's voice seems annoyed when he responds. "It's good to know you're not deaf."

"You're so sweet," Yu says sarcastically, pressing a small kiss to Adachi's neck, "But you know, I love you too." 

They stay wrapped up in each other for a while before Adachi peers at the clock. It's a quarter to 9 and he's not feeling up for riding the bus back to town with Yu. "Do you want to stay here tonight?" he asks, leaning back, "It's late. Besides, tomorrow is Sunday so you don't have to worry about school." 

Yu turns to look at the clock and furrows his brow. "What will I tell my uncle?" 

Adachi squints and thinks hard for a moment when an idea strikes him. "Where are my pants? I need my phone." Yu quirks a brow but reaches behind him and slides Adachi's pants across the floor to him. Adachi digs around in his pockets and extracts his phone after a moment. He flips it open, punches in a number and then waits. 

Dojima picks up after a few rings and he can tell he's still at the office. "Adachi, what is it?" 

"Uh, sorry for calling so late, Dojima-san. It's just... well, I ran into your nephew at Junes. He looked like he was up to no good." Yu looks panicked and tries to grab the phone from Adachi, but he dodges the attempt, sticking his tongue out.

"What was he doing?" Adachi can hear the slightest bit of disbelief in Dojima's voice.

"Uh, well, it turns out he wasn't doing anything wrong but I invited him over for dinner because he said he hadn't eaten yet."

Dojima is silent for a few seconds before he covers the receiver with his hand and starts laughing. After he's done being thoroughly amused by Adachi's lie, he comes back to the conversation, still snickering. "Can you cook?"

"H-Hey! That's not funny! Of course I can cook!" Adachi defends himself even though it's not true at all. The only thing he can cook is cabbage and anything instant.

Dojima finally settles down and clears his throat before speaking again, his voice a little less stern than usual. "Are you calling to tell me you killed my nephew with your cooking?"

Adachi scowls and pinches the bridge of his nose. "No, I didn't kill him. It got kind of late and I sort of owe him one for letting me sleep on his futon for two days. I was going to let him stay the night but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first, sir." 

There's silence on the line and Adachi knits his brows together. "Dojima-san, you still there?"

"Yeah. Are you sure he won't be a bother? It's generous of you but I thought you had plans with your girlfriend this evening." Dojima sounds confused and Adachi is right there with him.

"No... I don't have a girlfriend."

"Oh, Shirogane must have gotten it mixed up then. She told me that you left early because you had a date with your girlfriend."

Adachi proceeds to call Naoto at least ten different names in his head that he would never say aloud in front of anyone before he finally sighs and shakes his head. "No, I left because I wasn't feeling well..."

"You weren't feeling well. That's the story you're going with?" Dojima's voice sounds tense, "Or is there something else you want to tell me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought that I may have made you uncomfortable earlier."

Adachi had almost completely forgotten about the weird mood Dojima had been in before he hightailed it out of there. "Oh, that. No. It wasn't anything about that."

Dojima lets out a sigh of relief and laughs gently. "All right. I believe you. Take care of Yu and make sure he gets up at a decent hour in the morning. I'm going to go, I have a lot of paperwork to go through."

"Okay, I will, bye--"

"Oh, Adachi?" Dojima's voice sounds strange again, too kind, "When you can, I would like to speak to you in private. Goodbye."

Dojima hangs up the phone without warning and Adachi is left highly confused. He snaps the phone shut and drops it onto the pile that is his pants. Yu is watching him, his face blank. "What was that about?" Yu asks at length, reaching to grab Adachi's hand, "What did he say?"

"He said it's fine that you stay here tonight," Adachi mumbles quietly, staring down at his lap, "He's been acting weird lately. Have you noticed?"

Yu shakes his head. "No. He seems fine to me."

Adachi frowns deeply and rubs his forehead with the back of his hand. "I don't know what his problem is. He's been /nice/ to me lately."

Yu shrugs, looking perplexed, but doesn't make a comment. Adachi yawns and decides that maybe they should go to bed, but not before pointing to Yu's uniform. "You should probably leave that here for me to wash. Go on, take it off." Yu does as he's told, stripping down completely. He's much more muscular than Adachi originally thought and he looks really nice naked. Despite being completely uninterested in having any form of sex for a second time tonight, he's half-hard and has to look away as he undoes his tie, unbuttons his shirt and kicks his underwear off. He stands and holds out a hand for Yu to take. His legs feel wobbly from sitting on the floor too long and he just wants the comfort of his nest of blankets and Yu's warm body.

"I have a shirt and boxers I can lend you for the night," Adachi says as Yu grabs his hand and pulls himself up, "You'll have to get it yourself though. I'm too tired." He ambles over to his futon and pulls back the blankets, then throws himself into the pile with a soft thud. Yu flicks off the lights and settles in next to him, still naked, covering them up. He turns on his side and wraps his arms around Adachi, resting his head against the detective's chest.

"Comfortable?" Adachi asks, closing his eyes and letting the combined warmth of Yu's body and the blankets drag him down into sleep. All he hears is a drowsy "mmhmm" from Yu, then a yawn, then, "Goodnight, Tohru."

"Goodnight, Yu. Sleep well." 

It takes the two of them only minutes to fall asleep, limbs tangled and naked bodies pressed together.

***

Time passes. 


End file.
